England look in great shape, both physically and mentally. When you compare this England team to the one which started the 50-over World Cup, you see a massive shift in the mindset of the current lot. At that time, I think, there was some uncertainty around who was playing, who was out, and there were late selection issues like that of Harry Brook. All of that unsettled England a little bit in the lead up to the tournament.
England have learnt a lot of lessons from that campaign. Each player in this T20 World Cup squad knows where they sit within the squad and the likelihood of them playing. I think everyone is comfortable in the role they have been assigned. There is clarity of thought among the players before the World Cup. England would have liked a full series vs Pakistan as two games got washed out. But in the two matches that they played; England gave an impression of clarity within the team.
Buttler and Co have got a very strong top order. Two young guys in Phil Salt and Will Jacks have made a solid impact alongside captain Jos Buttler. We all know what Buttler can do in this format at the top. He is one the best T20 batters of all time.
The emergence of Salt and Jacks has come at a good time for England. I think they are well placed to take this tournament on. Both played in IPL recently and showed good form. Jonny Bairstow provided experience in the middle order. Then comes Harry Brook who is an extraordinary talent. The top-order looks pretty settled. It is right-hand heavy and that is where Ben Duckett comes in. He is very good at playing spin in the middle overs. They have got that nice balance to the squad. There are options available if the tournament does not go the way they think. But I think England will start with the top five that I just spoke about: Salt, Jacks, Buttler, Bairstow, Brook.
England have also got many good all-rounders in the squad. I think England and Australia are little similar, in terms of balance of their squad. They have batters who can bowl, which makes a huge difference in this format.
England have got a lot of batters who can bowl: Moeen Ali, Jacks, Liam Livingstone. These guys in the top five or six can provide you with not just one but a handful of overs. These players take the pressure off the captain when the situation is critical. There is Sam Curran also, who can be played whenever there is a need felt by the management.
We have talked about a lot of big players and match-winners. However, the key player to me, from England’s perspective, is Adil Rashid. He plays an essential role as he did before the 2019 World Cup. If he dominates the middle overs like he so often does, I think England are going to be a very tough side to beat all through the tournament. There is Reece Topley, who I rate very highly. He may not have the speed of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood but has got deception and skills to outdo the batters. England have ticked off all the various resources in the side. That is why I say that England are in really good shape heading into this World Cup. But Rashid is my pick as their biggest player. He is going to be the key.
The little area of concern for England could be finishing the game under pressure. If England lose wickets early on, how will the middle overs of the innings be bossed by the likes of Moeen Ali and Livingstone, is something to be seen. With spin and pace off the ball in those middle overs, England will face challenge with the bat in uncertain conditions. A lot of these players have played in the Caribbean before but there will be that slight uncertainty about conditions because the tournament is also being played in America and you cannot be very sure about how the conditions will be in these places. Not to forget, England have arrived for the World Cup very late too because of the series vs Pakistan. They have just 2 or 3 days to prepare for the first game against Scotland. These are some issues and challenges that England will need to overcome.
As far as Scotland are concerned, they have got some experienced players. They have got many players who have played in four of these T20 World Cups. Captain Richie Berrington has been playing the game for a long time. These guys are very good players. Bradley Currie played for Sussex, and he got a six-fer on his first-class debut. He was the leading wicket taker in the European regional qualifiers. He had finished with 5 for 13 against Ireland in the final. George Munsey is a powerful hitter of the cricket ball. He hits them very far. Who can forget his 127 not out in just 56 deliveries vs Netherlands back in 2019. Recently, he hit 132 off just 61 balls against Austria.
Mark Watt is an excellent bowler. The slow left-arm bowler can also open bowling for them. Scotland can give the new ball to him against England. He had taken 3 for 12 vs West Indies in the last T20 World Cup while opening the bowling, helping Scotland beat them by 42 runs.
Then they have got a young Charlie Tear who played the Under 19 World cup in these conditions. Sides like Scotland do not get to travel all over the world like the top 8 or 9 major cricketing nations. But Tear has played the Under 19 World Cup in the Caribbean.
The other big player for Scotland could be Brad Wheal. He missed the whole 2023 due to a stress fracture. He is a Hampshire boy and I have seen him play several times in the Vitality T20 Blast games. He bowls well at the death and is a game-changer.
The point I am trying to make is that Scotland have got players who can win the games irrespective of who the opposition is. Some of their players had their cricketing upbringing in strong setup of South Africa. Wheal, Chris Greaves, Berrington. I am sure these guys will back themselves against England to cause an upset. I don’t think there is any question about that.
Scotland have been out in the Caribbean for a while, so they have acclimatised to the conditions as well. They have been playing warm-up games. They lost their last game against Afghanistan but there is no shame in losing to a quality side. Afghanistan are certainly not going to be pushovers in the tournament.
England cannot underestimate Scotland in this game. They are strong favourites but Scotland will have great deal of respect in that English dressing room. I am backing England to make it to the final for the kind of shape they are in right now. But they must start with a win against Scotland, who can certainly try to cause an upset.
